Orienting and stacking of doffed packages



June 3, 1969 E. o. DU BUIS ET AL OHIENTING AND STACKING OF DOFFED PACKAGES I of 8 Sheet Filed Oct. 10. 1967 INVENTORS EdW/l? 0. DuBms Edward L- Cackse/ BY W a! ATTOFNEY5 18d" In l I I June 3, 1969 E. o. DU B'UIS ET AL 3,447,297

ORIENTING AND STACKING OF DOFFED PACKAGES Sheet Filed Oct.

INVENTORS Ea/W/O (9. P1150115 Edward L. Cuckscy ATTORNEYS June 3, 1969 E. o. DU BUIS ETAL 3,447,297

ORIENTING AND STACKING OF DOFFED PACKAGES Filed Oct. 10, 1967 Sheet )NVENTORS,

Du. Bu :3 Edward L Edwin O.

CucKsey' June 3, 1969 E. o. DU BUIS ET 3,447,297

ORIENTING AND STACKING OF DOFFED PACKAGES Sheet 4 of 8 Filed Oct.

INVENTORS Ed W10 0. DuBa/s Edward .4. C'ucksey 5 g A i ,47'7'OIF/VEY5 June 3, 1969 Q, DU 5 ET AL 3,447,297

ORIENTING AND STACKING OF DOFFLD PACKAGES Filed Oct. 10. 1967 Sheet of 8 I NVEN TORS W1 0- DaBu/s Edward L. Cuclsey WMMQQ June 3, 1969 sfo. DU BUIS ET AL 3,447,297

-' ORIENTING AND STACKING OF DOFFED PACKAGES Filed Oct. 10. 19 67 Sheet 4 w/w O n 5 M in m m 7 w ENTQILS Dz/Bu/s Edward 1.. Guckscy June 3, 1969 E. o. DU BUIS ET AL ORIENTING AND STACKQ ING OF DOFFED PACKAGES Sheet Filed Oct.

VENTORj a 211's a 0w}; Edward L auaksey 3y (WM M o/ E E June 3, 1969 E. o. DU BUIS ET 3,447,297

-ORIENTING AND STACKING OF DOFFED PACKAGES Filed Oct. 10, 1967 INVENTOR; Edw/fl 0. 5081.115 Edna/d L. Cuckscy W 6... A m

ATT'OKA/EYS United States Patent 3,447,297 ORIENTING AND STACKING 0F DOFFED PACKAGES Edwin 0. Du Buis, Pearl River, and Edward L. Cucksey, Upper Nyack, N.Y., assignors to Willcox & Gibbs, Inc., New York, N.Y., a corporation of New York Filed Oct. 10, 1967, Ser. No. 674,290 Int. Cl. D01h 9/10; B65!) 57/18; D65b 57/20 U.S. Cl. 57-53 19 Claims ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE The device receives the packages i.e., wound bobbins or tubes as they are ejected from the spindles by the dofiing units mounted on a carriage movable along a row of spindles in a spinning frame and orients and feeds the packages in a predetermined manner and stacks them in an orderly manner in compartments in removable re ceptacles mounted on the carriage, said compartments being preferably formed by removable separators in the receptacles and being filled seriatim under control of the packages deposited therein.

Heretofore, as shown in Patent No. 3,070,949, the packages as ejected from the spindles of the spinning frame were directed to and fell at random into receptacles. While this was satisfactory under some circumstances it was inefiijcient and often required manual manipulation of the individual packages to align or properly position the packages in said receptacles.

The present invention overcomes these difliculties by automatically orienting the ejected packages and thereafter stacking them in an orderly fashion in the receptacle without further manipulation of the packages.

This is accomplished by receiving the package as ejected by the dofi'ing unit and directing it into a properly oriented position. [when in this position it is fed to be stacked in orderly columns in compartments formed in the receptacle. Preferably, the compartments are formed by removable separator plates. As each compartment is filled to the required amount, the packages are automatically directed to the next compartment until all compartments have been filled, after which the receptacle is removed and replaced by another. In this way the receptacles will be most efliciently filled with properly aligned and orderly arranged packages automatically and without requiring manual manipulation of the packages in the receptacles.

Preferably the movement of the package to the stacking device depends upon the proper orienting or locating of the ejected package in a receiver or housing. When in proper position, a pusher is energized to move the package from the receiver to the stacking mechanism.

A feature of the invention resides in the fact that the device can be arranged to operate with a single dofiing unit or with a pair of dofiing units which operate on alternate spindles.

Other features and advantages will be apparent from the specification and claims when considered in connection with the accompanying drawings in which:

FIGURE 1 shows a side elevation of a dofling carriage with the orienting and stacking means of the present invention thereon.

FIG. 2 shows a side view partly in section of the orienting and stacking device of the present invention.

FIG. 3 is a top view of FIG. 2.

FIG. 4 is a section taken along line 44 of FIG. 2.

FIG. 5 is a section taken along line 5-5 of FIG. 2.

FIG. 6 is an enlarged fragmentary View illustrating the movement of the control carriage from one compartment to the next.

ice

FIG. 7 is a side view, with parts removed, showing the control carriage.

FIG. 8 is an end view of FIG. 7.

FIG. 9 is a sectional view taken along line 99 of FIG. 8.

FIG. 10 is a 'view of a separator.

FIG. 10a is a fragmentary end view of the separator.

FIG. 11 is a sectional view of the receptacle taken along line 11-1 1 of FIG. 13.

FIG. 12 is a sectional view of a receptacle taken along line 12-12 of FIG. 13.

FIG. 13 is a top view of a receptacle.

The present invention is directed to orienting and stacking dofied packages in receptacles and is illustrated as being applied to a machine of the type disclosed in Patent No. 3,070,949 which shows a carriage adapted to be mounted on a spinning machine to move therealong and serially doif the packages from the spindles and deflect them so that they fall at random into two receptacles carried by the carriage. Said patent may be referred to for details of said carriage and doffing units.

As shown in the drawings, the doffer carriage .10 which is adapted to be moved along a spinning machine has a pair of dofling units 1'1, 12 mounted thereon to dofr packages from a row of spindles 14. The package which can be a wound bobbin or tube, is shown at 13 in FIGS. 1, 3 and 5. A plate 15 disposed above the dofimg units carries a deflector hood 16 for each dofling unit, which deflector hood directs the ejected doifed packages to the orienting and stacking device of the present invention.

As shown in FIGS. 1 and 5, the device of the present invention has a frame 17 which is mounted on the upper end of the front plate 15 of the dofilng device by bolts 18 and is provided with a receiver or housing 19 to receive the ejected packages. The housing, in effect, provides two chambers 20, 21 (FIGS. 2 and 3) in side-by-side relation, one each for receiving a dotted package from each of the dotting units and orienting or positioning the same.

In the illustrated form of the invention, the housing is provided with openings 22, 23, one on each side, through which the packages are alternately pushed laterally ont of the housing and into tracks 24, 25 of the stacking device, which tracks extend above a pair of receptacles 26, 27 for the bobbins.

As the packages 13 are ejected by the dofling devices and move upwardly in the direction of arrow A, they are deflected by the deflector hood 16, as shown in FIG. 4, t0 the housing 19 and into the chambers 20, 21 thereof. To insure that the package will be properly positioned and oriented in the chamber, an assist roller 30, preferably driven by an electric motor 31, is located at the entrance of the housing and is rotated in the direction of the arrow B to engage the package 13, if necessary, and impel it into the chamber so that its end 13a engages a bumper stop 32 at the end of the chamber. The bumper absorbs the thrust and stops the package in a predetermined position to cause it to be properly oriented and aligned in the chamber. When the package is so properly located, it will cause a pusher member 33 disposed in the chamber and mounted on a pair of pivoted arms 34 to be energized to move the bobbin laterally through the openings in the side wall of the housing and out of the chamber to a position in which the ends 13a, 13b of the package are supported and guided by the pair of opposed channels or tracks 24, 25 extending laterally from each side of the housing.

As shown in FIGS. 2-4, the pusher 33, particularly where it is used with a housing having two side-by-side chambers, has a broad top plate 40 and side pusher flanges 41 extending substantially along the length of the package as shown in FIGS. 3 and 4, with the flanges having a longitudinal bend as at 41a which provides a 3 low friction line contact with the package as shown in FIG. 2. The pusher has end flanges 42 secured to the arms 34 also shown in FIG. 4.

As shown in FIG. 2, the pusher is disposed in one chamber while a package is being deposited in the other chamber and the top plate 40 is so positioned that it will engage and support any package which may be in said one chamber until it is operated to push the package from said other chamber.

While the pusher can be energized in many ways, it is preferred to have the pivoted arms 34 actuated by any suitable means to oscillate. As herein illustrated, this means comprises a pair of rotary solenoids 43, 44, each controlled by switch means disposed in a chamber in the housing and responsive to the proper positioning of the package in said chamber. As illustrated, this switch means comprises a pair of normally open microswitches 45, 46 having an upwardly biased pivoted actuator arm 47, 48 extending across the chamber to be engaged by the package when properly positioned in the chamber and depressed thereby to close the microswitch for the chamber. This causes the rotary solenoid to be energized and move, through the connector 49, the pivoted arm and cause the pusher to move laterally and push the package through the opening so that its ends are supported in the tracks.

As soon as the package moves out of the chamber, the actuator for the switch is released and the switch opens the circuit and the pusher remains in said chamber until the other microswitch is operated by a package in the other chamber.

Should only one dolfing unit be used, the pusher will be biased to a retracted position and moved from said position only when a package is properly positioned in the chamber to operate the switch and energize the solenoid.

In the situation wherein more than one package is dis posed in each chamber, the top plate 40 will alternately support the excess until the package in the other chamber is pushed through the opening.

Since the stacking means for the packages is the same for each receptacle, only one will be described in detail.

As shown, the tracks extend outwardly and are so located on the carriage 10 that the removable package receiving receptable 26, FIGS. 11-13, can be disposed below the tracks 24. The frame 17 which carries the tracks also carries a plurality of spaced separators 50 as shown in FIG. 10 which are received in slots 51 in a slotted side 26a of the receptacle 26 so as to divide the receptacle into a plurality of compartments, as shown in FIG. 2, for stacking the packages therein.

Preferably the bottoms of the separators 50 are bent at an angle as at 50b as shown in FIG. 10a to engage the first package to fall therein and deflect it toward the opposite wall to reduce any tendency of the package to bounce in the compartment.

The receptacle as shown in FIGS. 1ll3 has the upper end of the side 26a having the slots 51, rolled around a rod 52 and preferably the separator plates at 50a are notched as shown in FIG. 10 to receive the rod 52 of the receptacle after it has been put in place to insure proper positioning of the receptacle and to avoid accidental displacement of the receptacle from the carriage.

In order to direct the packages moving along the tracks and into the compartments, the tracks 24 are provided with openings 55 in the package-supporting surfaces 24a thereof, which openings are disposed above the compartments and are normally closed by pivoted gates 56 (FIG. The gates are normally biased to close the opening by the weight of the gate and/or spring means 57 (FIG. 8).

As the packages are pushed along the tracks they are directed into the compartments in seriatim by a control carriage 60 mounted to move along a pair of rails 61 positioned parallel to the track 24 by means of slides 62 (FIG. 8). The carriage has stop pin means 63 for engaging stops 64 on the rails to locate it in predetermined relation to each of the compartments and has a deflector plate 65 to engage the package to deflect the package into the compartment. The carriage also has means for engaging the gates 56 as the carriage moves to each position to open the gates and hold them open so that the packages can drop by gravity through the opening 55 in the track and be stacked in the compartments as the packages are pushed along the tracks. This means, as shown in FIGS. 6 and 9, comprises a roller 58 carried by the carriage in position to engage a cam 56a on the upper end of each gate to move it to a retracted position as an incident to the movement of the carriage and to hold it there until the compartment is filled as desired.

After a predetermined number of packages has been deposited in the compartment, means are provided for releasing the gate and withdrawing the stop pin so that the packages will be able to push the control carriage along the rail to the proper position for the next compartment as determined by the next step. This is illustrated in FIG. 6 wherein the first gate has been released to close the opening in the rail and the next package has pushed the carriage along the track until the stop pin means has engaged the stop for the second compartment and the roller has engaged the cam end of the gate and moved the gate to retracted position so that the package can be deflected in the direction of arrow C into the compartment.

To stabilize the movement of the control carriage as it is pushed along the rails by the packages, each rail is provided with a rack 66 on the undersurface which engages a pair of gears 67 fixed to a shaft rotatably mounted on the carriage as shown in FIGS. 7 and 8.

When each succeeding compartment is filled to the desired extent, the above action is repeated until all of the compartments in the receptable but the last are filled. The carriage is then moved to a point above the last compartment and all of the packages resting in the track are manually moved along the track and deflected into the last compartment to =fill it.

As an alternative operation, each compartment can receive enough packages to fill it, less one, and when the last compartment is filled, all of the gates may be operated manually to deposit the packages remaining in the track, in each compartment to fill it and at the same time clear the track for the next stacking operation.

The means for controlling the operation of the control carriage can be actuated in Warious ways for example, electrically, pneumatically or mechanically to be responsive to the depositing or positioning of the packages in each compartment.

In the form illustrated in FIGS. 1-9 it is a simple counting device. As shown in detail in FIGS. 6 to 9, the deflector plate 65 is pivoted at 65a so as to move a predetermined amount from a normal pendant position, as shown in FIG. 6 to the dash line position each time it is engaged by a package moving along the track. The deflector plate actuates a pawl 70 cooperating with a gear 71 mounted on shaft 72 to move the gear a predetermined number of teeth for each actuation of the deflector plate so that the gear will complete one cycle each time the compartment is filled. A stop pawl 7311, FIG. 9, cooperating with gear 73 prevents retrograde movement of the counting device by the pawl 70 as the plate moves back to its pendant position. The gear 71 meshes with a gear 73 on the control shaft 74 which carries release cams 75 so positioned that they engage pins 76 on yokes 77 slidably mounted on the carriage and carrying the gate holding rollers 58 and the stop pins 63. The yokes 77 are normally urged by spring 77a to projected position in which the stop pins 63 engage the stops 64 and the gate-holding rollers engage the ends of the gates and hold them in open position. When the gear 73 has made one revolution, the release cams 75 engage the pins 76 and retract the yokes withdrawing the stop pins and the rollers 58 which release the stops and the gates. This permits the gates to return to normal position and automatically complete the tracks for conducting the packages to the next compartment and enables the next package to move the carriage until the stop pin engages the next stop and positions the carriage deflector plate to direct the packages into the next compartment. It is to be understood that the stacking means of the present invention, while illustrated as applied to stacking packages of the type herein described, is capable of stacking tubular articles of various kinds where it is desired to stack them in a receptacle in an orderly, oriented manner.

Variations and modifications may be made within the scope of the claims and portions of the improvements may be used without others.

We claim:

1. In a device having dofiing means for automatically doifing packages from a row of spindles of a spinning or the like machine, a housing including a chamber for receiving packages ejected by the dofiing means and maintaining said packages in a predetermined oriented position, means for moving the packages from said chamber including actuating means responsive to the proper positioning of the package in said chamber, and means receiving the packages from the chamber seriatim and orderly stacking said packages in a removable receptacle.

2. The invention as defined in claim 1 wherein there is a driven assist roller located adjacent the entrance to the housing to engage and assist the ejected package to move into proper position in said housing.

3. The invention as defined in claim 1 wherein the means for moving the package from the chamber comprises a pusher and means for reciprocating the pusher in a line transverse to the longitudinal axis of the package to move the package laterally from the chamber, said last means being controlled by sensing means responsive to said package being in said proper position in said chamber.

4. The invention as defined in claim 1 wherein the means for moving the packages from the chamber comprises a pusher for engaging the package, a solenoid for operating the pusher, and switch means engaged by a properly positioned package in the chamber for controlling the energization of said solenoid.

5. The invention as defined in claim 1 wherein the receptacle is divided into a plurality of compartments to receive said packages, said compartments being of a size to receive the bobbins and control the movement thereof into stacked relation.

6. The invention as defined in claim 1 wherein the receptacle has a slotted side to receive a plurality of separator plates to divide the receptacle into said plurality of compartments when the receptacle is in position.

7. The invention as defined in claim 6 wherein the separator plates have an inturned bend at their lower end to prevent the falling packages from bouncing and assisting in the stacking of the packages in the compartments.

8. The invention as defined in claim 8 wherein the mean for receiving the packages from the chamber comprises tracks engaging and supporting the ends of the packages, and includes gates comprising pivotally mounted members extending into said openings and forming sections of the track.

9. The invention as defined in claim 1 wherein the means receiving the packages from the chamber comprises elongate supports having spaced openings therealong, gates normally closing said openings, and means controlling the opening of said gates to efiect stacking in said receptacle.

10. The invention as defined in claim 1 wherein the last means includes tracks for horizontally supporting the laterally moved packages, said tracks having openings therein at spaced intervals to permit the supported packages to drop therethrough into the receptacle, said openings being normally closed by gates, and means for III opening said gates in a predetermined controlled manner to cause said packages to be stacked in said receptacle.

11. The invention as defined in claim 8 wherein the receptacle is separated into compartments correlated to the openings in the tracks and there is a control carriage movable along a path parallel to said tracks and having means cooperating with a plurality of stops for stopping the control carriage in predetermined positions along said tracks adjacent the compartments and the control carriage has means to deflect packages moving laterally along the tracks through the openings and into said compartments.

12. The invention as defined in claim 11 wherein there are means on the control carriage responsive to the stacking of a predetermined number of packages in a compartment for releasing the gates to return to normal posi tion and withdrawing the means for stopping the carriage to enable the carriage to be moved to the next stopping position and open the next adjacent gate.

13. The invention as defined in claim 11 wherein the gates are normally moved to closed position and the carriage has means for holding the gates associated therewith open.

14. The invention as defined in :claim 13 wherein the control carriage has means for moving the next gate out of the associated opening in the track as an incident to the movement of the lcarriage to the next compartment to enable packages to be deflected into said compartment.

15. -In a device having doffing means, movable along a row of spindles of a spinning or the like machine, lfOI dofling packages from said spindles with the dofiing means comprising a pair of dotting devices in side-byside relation with each device automatically dofi'ing packages from alternate spindles; a housing having a pair of side-by-side chambers for receiving the dotted packages, one for each of said dofiing devices, siad chambers opening on opposite sides of the housing, reciprocat ing pusher means disposed in the housing for alternately engaging the packages in said chambers and moving them laterally from the chambers through the opening therein, means controlled by the packages in said chambers for operating the pusher means, packages support means disposed on opposite sides of the housing for receiving packages pushed from said chambers and supporting them in a horizontal position, each of said support means including spaced openings normally closed by gate means, the movement of said gate means from normal position permitting the packages therefrom to fall into a compartment of a multi-compartmented receptacle disposed below each of said package supporting means, said compartments being of a size to receive said packages and stack said packages in orderly columns in said receptacle, and control means associated with said gate means to control the operation thereof.

16. The invention as defined in claim 15 wherein said control means includes a control carriage movable along a path parallel to said package support means by said packages to predetermined positions therealong as determined by stop means on the carriage, said carriage having means actuated in response to a predetermined number of packages in a compartment in the receptacle to release said gate to close the opening in said support means and withdraw said stop means to free the carriage to be moved to a cooperative position with respect to a next compartment in the receptacle by the movement of the packages along the support.

17. The invention as defined in claim 15 wherein the means for operating the pusher means comprises a pair of electrical solenoids, and the means controlled by the packages comprise switch means in each chamber controlling the energization of said solenoids.

18. The invention as defined in claim 17 wherein said pusher has a line contact with the packages in the chamber to push them out of said chambers and has a portion to overlie the switch means in one chamber to protect the switch means from contact by a package until the pusher moves the properly positioned package in the other chamber laterally through the opening therein.

19. A device for stacking articles in a receptacle comprising a pair of opposed channels extending over said receptacle and forming tracks for engaging and supporting the ends of said articles as the articles are fed therealong, the receptacle being divided into a plurality of compartments and the supporting portion of said tracks having spaced openings aligned with said compartments to permit articles to pass therethrough and into the compartment, gate means disposed in and normally closing said openings to form a continuation of the supporting portion of said track, means retracting the gate means out of said opening unit to permit the articles to fall into compartments below said opening, and control means actuated in response to a predetermined filling of the compartment With articles for releasing the gate means for said compartment to move to close the opening for said compartment and open the opening in the track for the next compartment.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 5/1955 Voegelin 53246 5/1963 Fiirst et al. 53-246 4/ 1966 Escursell-Prat 57-53 3/1967 Nishii et a1 57-53 5/1967 Bahnson et al 5753 OTHER REFERENCES DAS 1,212,455, published Mar. 19, 1966, Germany.

STANLEY N. GllLREATH, Primary Examiner.

' W. H. SCHROEDER, Assistant Examiner.

U.S. O1. X.R.

3, 7, 97 Dated n 3, 19 9 Patent No.

Inventofls) Edwin O. DuBuis and Edward L. Cucksey It is certified that error appears in the above-identified patentand that said Letters Patent are hereby corrected as shown below:

' In column line 36 "receptable" should read --receptacle--. l

In column 5, line 58, the claim reference numeral "8" should read --1--; line 59 "mean" should read --means--.

In column 6, line 37 "siad." should read --sa.id--; line 43, "packages" should. read --pa.ckage--.

SIGNED AND SEALED MAR 1 0 1970 EdwudLLRowhonJr: mm L gamma m Awesting Officer Oomissioner of Patents 

